Toast All Hallow’s Eve with a Vampire Elixir. Photo courtesy Belvedere Vodka.

There’s still time to invite friends to a Halloween cocktail party—costumes optional. Create your cocktail menu from these cocktail recipes:

Bloody Vampire Martini. Photo courtesy Betty Crocker. Here’s the recipe.

Serve Halloween party food like these:

Just in time for Halloween, we received this recipe from GoBoldWithButter.com. Instead of biting into a hard candy apple, this Candy Apple Cheesecake melts in your mouth.

Plan ahead: You need to make the cheesecake a day in advance. The caramel sauce can be made a week in advance.

Says blogger Bree Hester of Baked Bree, who created the recipe: “Every year I make a ‘Welcome Fall’ dinner that involves roast pork, mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage, and caramel apple cheesecake. It is a stick-to-your-ribs kind of dinner, one we look forward to all year long.

“This recipe might seem a little on the complicated side, but you can make most of the components ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you need them.

“I guarantee that your guests will be blown away. I know this because I get lots of oohs and ahhs when this baby hits the table.”

See more of Bree’s wonderful recipes at BakedBree.com.
 
 
RECIPE: CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients For Cheesecake

[1] It’s the season for Caramel Apple Cheesecake (photo © Baked Bree | Go Bold With Butter).

[2] You can use real brandy or Cognac in the caramel sauce, or substitute brandy extract (photo © Quality Liquor Store).

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap the pan in aluminum foil.

2. ADD the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and pecans to a food processor, and pulse until well combined. Press into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool completely.

3. MIX the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch in a food processor or with an electric mixer, until completely smooth. Add the sour cream, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, until everything is incorporated and completely smooth.

4. POUR the filling into the cooled crust. Make a bain-marie: Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan and pour boiled water halfway up the sides. Cover the roasting pan loosely with foil. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes, or until the edges are set and the middle still has some jiggle. Check the pan about halfway through and add more water as needed.

5. TRANSFER the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

 
Preparation

1. SIMMER the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep warm.

2. PLACE the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; do not stir. Swirl the pan occasionally, until the sugar turns a golden amber color, about 8 to 10 minutes. When the sugar has reached the desired color…

3. SLOWLY WHISK the cream into the mixture until smooth. Remove from the heat and add the brandy, sea salt, and vanilla bean. Pour into an airtight container. The caramel will keep in the fridge for one week. Reheat gently if it hardens.

Ingredients For The Apple Mixture

 
Preparation

1. BRING the apple juice, sugar, and vanilla bean to a boil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup.

2. STIR in the butter. Add the apple slices and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the brandy and cook until the sauce reduces in half again. Let cool slightly before adding to cheesecake.
 
TO ASSEMBLE

1. UMNOLD the cheesecake from the springform pan.

2. POUR the caramel sauce on top of cheesecake. Top with the apples and serve.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Variations: Substitute toffee chips, chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for the peanut butter chips. Or, amp up the peanut profile with flavored peanuts (Planter’s, for example, makes Chipotle Peanuts, Cocoa Peanuts, Salted Caramel Peanuts and Smoked Peanuts). You can also add raisins or dried cherries or cranberries (we’re keen on the dried cherries).

For Halloween, add a bit of candy corn!

You won’t have a triple PB cookie, but you will have something equally delicious.
 
 
RECIPE: TRIPLE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients

Snack time! Photo courtesy Zulka.

Preparation

1. WHISK together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. COMBINE the butter and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 15 second intervals until melted. Add the vanilla extract and stir until combined and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. BEAT the eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and slightly thickened. Add the sugars and mix well. Pour the peanut butter mixture in and mix well, scraping down the sides when necessary.

4. ADD the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the one tablespoon of milk and mix again. Add the peanuts and peanut butter chips and stir by hand until combined. Chill the dough at least one hour, up to overnight before baking. When ready to bake…

5. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone bake mats. Scoop out rounded heaping tablespoon and a half sized dough balls and place on the cookie sheets about 2” apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Do not over bake.

6. COOL on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

ABOUT ZULKA

More than 100 years ago, the Zulka family built mills among the lush sugar fields of Mexico, in a tropical area ideal for sugar cane farming. They remain a family-run company, continually investing and modernizing so that these same facilities can process more than six million tons of fresh-cut sugarcane each year.

All of the sugar cane they process comes from local small family farms, owned by hard-working people who are dedicated to producing top quality sugar cane. “We are proud of our workers, partners, and product,” says Zulka.

With most sugar coming from enormous, soul-less companies, it’s a great mission to support. Check the store locator to see where you can buy Zulka products.

You can also find it on Amazon.com in white sugar, brown sugar and individual white sugar packets.

The company will soon be introducing powdered sugar and chili sugar, with a touch of chili spice.

Find more delicious recipes on Zulka.com.